National Estuary Program (NEP)

Local Estuary Programs

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Currently, 28 estuaries located along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts and in Puerto Rico are designated as estuaries of national significance. These local programs are part of the National Estuary Program (NEP). Each NEP focuses within a study area that includes the estuary and surrounding watershed. Below are documents and links for each estuary program.


Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plans

Each of the 28 National Estuary Programs was charged with developing and implementing a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) that establishes priorities for activities, research and funding for the estuary. The CCMP serves as a blueprint to guide future decisions and addresses a wide range of environmental protection issues, including:

  • water quality
  • habitat
  • fish and wildlife
  • pathogens
  • land use
  • introduced species

Each CCMP is based on a scientific characterization of the estuary and is developed and approved by a broad coalition of stakeholders.

For more information about CCMPs, contact the NEP directly:

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NEPs on Social Media

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State of the Bay Reports

Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program

Barnegat Bay Partnership

Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program

Casco Bay Estuary Partnership

Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program

Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership

Delaware Center for the Inland Bays

Partnership for the Delaware Estuary

Galveston Bay Estuary Program

Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program

Long Island Sound Study

Maryland Coastal Bays Program

Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Program

Mobile Bay National Estuary Program

Morro Bay National Estuary Program

New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program

Peconic Estuary Program

Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership

Puget Sound Partnership

San Francisco Estuary Partnership

Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission

Sarasota Bay Estuary Program

Tampa Bay Estuary Program

Tillamook Estuaries Partnership

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NEP Videos, Virtual Tours and Photo Gallery

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Videos and Virtual Tours

Take a virtual tour to some of our National Estuary Programs (NEPs)! See what their estuaries look like as you kayak through or fly overhead. Discover the challenges they are facing and solutions they have proposed or developed. Find out why estuaries are so vital and important to our lives.

Barataria–Terrebonne National Estuary Program

Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program

Casco Bay Estuary Partnership

Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program

Partnership for the Delaware Estuary

Delaware Center for the Inland Bays

Galveston Bay Estuary Program

Long Island Sound Study

Mobile Bay National Estuary Program

Morro Bay National Estuary Program

  • Bay StoriesIn celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Morro Bay National Estuary Program, these videos visit with some locals whose lives are intertwined with the bay and the estuary.

Sarasota Bay Estuary Program

Tillamook Estuaries Partnership

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NEP Photo Gallery

snowy egret
volunteers at sarasota bay
tampa bay
tampa bay
tampa bay
cape may
columbia river
massachusetts bay
sarasota bay
sarasota bay
sarasota bay
masschusetts bay
ibis
mangroves
sarasota bay
delware estuary
volunteers
san francisco bay
san francisco estuary
kayaks
invasive species disposal area
tillamook
tillamook
tillamook
long island sound
long island sound
long island sound
indian river lagoon
indian river lagoon
indian river lagoon
estuary
estuary
estuary
estuary
estuary
estuary
 
 
 
 

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